Office of the City Manager

City Council Certifies EIR For Temporary NFL Use at Rose Bowl Stadium

CITY COUNCIL CERTIFIES EIR FOR TEMPORARY NFL USE AT ROSE BOWL STADIUM

PASADENA, Calif.—The City Council early Tuesday morning, Nov. 20, approved amending the Arroyo Seco Public Lands Ordinance and certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as a preliminary step that could lead to a National Football League (NFL) team’s temporary use of the Rose Bowl Stadium.

The City Council voted 7-1 in favor of certifying the EIR and approving a first reading of the amended ordinance.A second reading is needed to finalize the action and a second reading will be scheduled for the Council’s Dec. 3 meeting.The vote took place after more than five hours of reports by staff and testimony from about 48 people who spoke at the meeting.About 125 people attend the hearing that began Monday night, Nov. 19.

The amendment would allow the City to be able to negotiate with an NFL team to host home games at the Rose Bowl Stadium for no more than five years if, and when, an NFL team moves to the Los Angeles area while a permanent stadium is being constructed elsewhere.

The Arroyo Seco Public Lands Ordinance previously restricted large events at the stadium with 20,000 or more attending to 12 such large events per year, absent special findings. Of those 12 events, seven are contractually reserved for University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) football games, plus two post-season collegiate games, including the Rose Bowl game. The proposed amendment to the ordinance would allow up to 13 additional NFL events per year for no more than five years.

The additional events would only be allowed if the City enters into an agreement with an NFL team to lease the Rose Bowl Stadium. No NFL team has been identified as moving to Los Angeles and the City and the Rose Bowl Operating Company have not begun negotiations to lease the stadium to an NFL team.